Reliability and validity of the self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in primary school children

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

This study examined the new self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-S), SDQ-Kids, in primary school children regarding internal consistency, teacher-child agreement, and validity. Data from 2,655 children in Grades 1 to 3 and their teachers were analyzed. Children completed SDQ-Kids, previously piloted (n = 896), while teachers completed SDQ-T. Reliability was measured using Cronbach’s alpha, and logistic regression analyzed the association between rating source (teachers vs. children) and SDQ status (“abnormal” vs. “normal”). Validity was assessed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. SDQ-Kids showed acceptable internal consistency for total difficulties (α =.77) but lower for subscales (α =.40–.68). SDQ-T reliability was good for total difficulties (α =.90) and acceptable to good for subscales (α =.78–.89). Differences emerged, particularly in internalizing and externalizing problems. Correlations of SDQ-Kids with other instruments were acceptable to low. Differences between teacher and child reports highlight the need for a multi-informant approach. While SDQ-Kids’ total difficulties showed acceptable reliability, scale-level reliability and validity were unsatisfactory.

Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Journal of Behavioral Development
Number of pages9
ISSN0165-0254
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 21.12.2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

    Research areas

  • children, mental health, reliability, screening instrument, self-report, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
  • Health sciences
  • Psychology

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Design of flat slabs for punching - European and North American practices
  2. Towards 3D Process Simulation for In Situ Hybridization of Fiber-Metal-Laminates (FML)
  3. Financing behavior in new ventures - Evidence from Germany
  4. Patterns of entrepreneurial career development
  5. Determination of rutin in green tea infusions using square-wave voltammetry with a rigid carbon-polyurethane composite electrode
  6. Compressive strength and hot deformation behavior of TX32 magnesium alloy with 0.4% Al and 0.4% Si additions
  7. Relations between idle time, exhaustion, and engagement at work
  8. Credit Constraints and Margins of Import
  9. An Adaptive Lyapunovs Internal PID Regulator in Automotive Applications
  10. Timing, fragmentation of work and income inequality
  11. Differences in labor supply to monopsonistic firms and the gender pay gap
  12. Numerical determination of heat distribution and castability simulations of as cast Mg-Al alloys
  13. Determinants of promotions in an internal labour market
  14. Threshold stress during tensile and compressive creep in AE42 magnesium alloy
  15. LC-QuAD 2.0
  16. Numerical simulation of friction extrusion
  17. Deciding whether to work after retirement
  18. Multiphoton ionization of magnesium and calcium atoms by short and intense laser pulses
  19. Design and control of an electromagnetic valve actuator
  20. Selbstreguliertes Lernen im Mathematikstudium
  21. People Information in Provenance Data
  22. Dimension theoretical properties of generalized Baker's transformations
  23. Environmental and structural health monitoring by optoelectronic scanner
  24. Flat-of-the-curve medicine
  25. Multiple plant diversity components drive consumer communities across ecosystems
  26. Data-driven analyses of electronic text books